It is conventional practice to mount a document shredding machine (such as of the kind described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,044) on a supporting structure or stand, arranged to support the machine at a desired height from the floor and into which, beneath the machine, a bin can be positioned to receive shredded material produced by the machine. A simple form of stand comprises a generally horizontal support for the shredder which is supported by four legs, an aperture being provided in the horizontal support through which shredded material may fall.
Difficulties are encountered in such conventional structures, as follows:
(a) it is difficult to produce a design which is neat and tidy in appearance; PA1 (b) it is difficult to ensure that the bin is placed in a correct position within the stand, to ensure that substantially all the shredded material produced by the machine falls into the bin; PA1 (c) it is often difficult to provide a means for the ready disposal of material other than that subjected to a shredding operation: for example it has previously been suggested to provide a through-slot in the shredder itself, through which items of documentary material which may be disposed of without shredding, may be "posted" to fall directly into the bin. This adds to the cost of the shredding machine.
Additionally, it is always desirable to maximise the capacity of the bin.